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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
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Women's Health |
Understanding STD`s10/27/2005 |
I have a few questions about Chlamydia. I know that there are different symptoms in men and women, but I would like to know if the infection could cause raw and tender spots that turn into scabs on the shaft of a man`s penis? And if the infection went untreated for a few months could it enter the bloodstream and settle in another part of the body, such as the knee? The other thing that I wanted to know was if it were possible for a woman to have it and not realize it because she also had a UTI at the same time? Can chlamydia show up in the urine test when testing for a UTI or would the urine have to be tested specifically for chlamydia? And the last part of my question is can it be treated with Keflex or Cipro?
Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted disease reported in the United States, with nearly one million people being infected each year. You are correct in stating that men and women have different symptoms. Typically in a man, he will have perhaps a mild discharge from the penis that is usually clear; along with that will come some mild burning when he urinates. Typically the symptoms in a man are very short in duration, and often go away (yet he can still be contagious).
It would be extremely rare for Chlamydia to present as raw and tender spots that turn into scabs - herpes would be the disease I would think of given those symptoms. Sometimes it can set up an immune response called Reiter's Syndrome that may involve pain in the joints (along with some eye problems such as a conjunctivitis).
In contrast, women can become infected and never know that they have the infection. Other women can have no symptoms until the Chlamydia infects the uterus or fallopian tubes - a condition known as Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID). It is very common for Chlamydia to also cause a woman to have burning when she urinates. Sometimes a urine test can suggest a Chlamydia infection (but not be completely diagnostic), but often the woman would require a culture taken from the cervix (a simple, nonpainful test).
The best treatment for chlamydia is doxycycline, azithromycin, erythromycin, or ofloxacin (a "cousin" of Cipro). Normally, Cipro and Keflex are not recommended.
A great web site for reliable information on Chlamydia and other STDs can be found from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) - http://www.cdc.gov. Specifically for chlamydia, a good patient information website is: http://www.cdc.gov/std/Chlamydia/STDFact-Chlamydia.htm#Common.
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W. Fred Miser, MD Associate Professor of Family Medicine Department of Family Medicine College of Medicine The Ohio State University |
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